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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: file · lash · cold · pop · press · fine · root · present

  1. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. pop — to visit
  3. fine — high quality
  4. root — of a plant
  5. root — the cause
  6. cold — an illness
  7. pop — music
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. press — a publisher
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. present — a gift
  12. file — a tool
  13. fine — all right
  14. pop — soda
  15. present — there
  16. cold — not warm
  17. press — to push
  18. press — newspapers
  19. file — a line of people
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. present — the time now
  24. file — a document

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com